


The Halcon Latigo

by Aydammair



Series: The Cronicles of the Halcon Latigo [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Gen, Halcon Latigo, Sci-Fi Violence, Science Fiction, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-14
Updated: 2012-05-14
Packaged: 2017-11-05 08:51:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/404543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aydammair/pseuds/Aydammair
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Major Katrina Young vanished from Earth five years ago. When General Eric Swata encounters her on an alien world her reappearance raises many questions among the Space Rangers. Questions that might be better of left unanswered when a new threat approaches Earth.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Malok

Earth Station was an impressive complex that sprawled for miles under the Rocky Mountains. The centerpiece was the Departure Platform. Despite the name, given as a joke, the Platform was actually a huge room that took up the entirety of a single mountain. In the center of the room rose a  stone hexagon called the Hexnet. Fully twenty feet across, the hexagon was covered with metal that twined in a pattern comprehensible only to the makers of the ancient device. A control room and a command center peered through windows on either side of the room.  
  
General Eric Swata, commander of the Space Ranger Alpha unit, shrugged his shoulders in order to make sure his vest was sitting comfortably before turning to inspect his team. Doctor Richard Grau was alternating with fiddling with a detector and brushing his brown bangs out of his hazel eyes. Colonel Tamara Considine double checking her gun, her dark hair cut military short and her brown eyes studious as always. Yodhhu Sa’fra stood serenely at the end. Eric was slowly growing used to her grey skin and white hair. What generally disturbed him more was that she stood a full three inches taller than his own six feet. She was also significantly more well-built than him. Eric sometimes wished the military would allow his to grow a beard so he could regain his position as manliest of the group.  
  
Eric ran his fingers through his own coarse black hair and settled his hat on top. He turned to Commander Santiva in the control room and waved. The Commander nodded and turned to press shapes on the stone column next to him. The four columns in the control room were covered in the same metal patterns as the hexagon. The air inside the hexagon began to swirl like a horizontal tornado with an obscene gurgle and appeared to flush away. Suddenly the maelstorm snapped flat and formed the Hexnet. Through the rippling portal Eric could see a grassy meadow with a neatly paved stone road leading away from the hexagon. The usual four command columns rose on either side of the road. A tall wooden shape that looked like an 'm' with three diagonal lines through it sat proudly in the middle of the road.  
  
Eric glanced over his shoulder at Earth's own symbol, an 'e' inscribed in a ring, carved into the wall behind him and then glanced once more at his team.  
  
"Shall we?" he asked. Sa'fra nodded once and the team strode through the hex.  
  
On the other side Richard shivered. "I will never get used to that. It’s like swimming in cold pudding," he complained.  
  
Eric gave him a sideways look and then shook his head. "Let’s go see if those traders Qadar was talking about actually exist." He motioned down the road.  
  
The team moved forward and fell into their usual pattern. Eric took point and Sa'fra the rear with Tamara keeping an eye on Richard as the scientist paid more attention to the way the road was built than actually walking on it without tripping. The road met up with a stream and the pair wound through the forest until they rounded a hill and emerged into a village. The village consisted of a single row of buildings ringing a stone plaza. Neatly dressed villagers thronged the plaza. They ignored the new arrivals save the occasional curious glance.  
  
Eric smiled and flagged a passing man down. "Excuse me, we’re looking for Trader Malok," he said cheerfully.  
  
"Trader Malok is in the main commerce building. It’s the only three story building on the landing circle," the man replied, pointing to a road leading away from the plaza.  
  
"Thank you," Eric said with a lazy half salute. He turned to his team and gestured in the same direction. "Shall we?" he asked flippantly.  
  
Tamara rolled her eyes and took the lead. Eric turned to Richard who was looking around with his usual awe.  
  
"This architecture is Waymaker in origin. Most of the buildings were far more recently built, so the locals probably imitated the original outpost the Waymakers built here," Richard was telling Sa'fra. Eric grabbed Richard’s shoulder.  
  
"Come on, the Trader’s waiting," Eric said, steering the man towards the far road. The team made their way through the crowd and into the next plaza. The second plaza had metal designs laid into the stone and only three buildings on the far side. Tamara led the way around the edge and towards the middle building. Inside the air was cool and clean. Metal beams supported stonework and framed glassless windows. A young man in a white shirt and green pants approached the team.  
  
"Welcome to Malok," he greeted cheerfully.  
  
"Hello. I’m General Swata of Earth," Eric replied, "We’re here to see Trader Malok."  
  
"Ah yes. He is in the meeting hall upstairs. This way." The man led them around a corner and up a wide stone staircase. The second floor was a single open room containing a circle of wooden tables. A large man in a light blue shirt and dark blue pants stood as they entered.  
  
"Welcome to Malok! You must be the traders from Earth!" he pronounced in a deep voice that echoed through the room, "I am Trader Malok. This is Trader Zuivere." He gestured to a small blond woman who stood from the table.  
  
"I am General Swata. This is the Space Ranger Alpha unit; Colonel Considine, Doctor Grau and Yodhhu Sa'fra," Eric gestured to his team in turn. Malok beamed at them.  
  
"Welcome! If you would excuse us, Trader Zuivere?" he bowed to the woman.  
  
"Of course," she murmured politely.  
  
"We do not wish to interrupt," Tamara said diplomatically.  
  
"Not at all," Zuivere assured her, "We were just chatting. I hope to see you all at the evening meal."  
  
With a small bow she turned and vanished down the stairs.  
  
"Come! Sit! I hear we have much to discuss," Malok exclaimed while gesturing to the table.  
  
"Thank you Trader," Richard said politely as the team arranged themselves.  
  
Eric scanned the room once more for security and then proceeded to zone out while appearing to be paying attention. He had perfected the skill over the years. He zoned back in when Tamara and Malok stood to shake hands.  
  
"I believe our peoples will have a successful and profitable relationship," Malok proclaimed.  
  
"We look forward to a long future with your people," Tamara replied while skillfully hiding any pain from the enthusiastic handshake.  
  
"It is almost time for the evening meal. You should join us!" Malok invited.  
  
"I don’t know," Eric began.  
  
"How we can refuse!" Richard interrupted. He gave Eric an irritated look before smiling innocently at Malok.  
  
"Wonderful! Come!" Malok led the way from the room.  
  
"So," Eric inquired as they followed, "What did we acquire?"  
  
"Malok has agreed to help mediate agreements with traders who travel through the InterWay. Their InterWay leads to the Fornax Dwarf Galaxy. Malok assures me they have many metals of use to us. Malok itself offers seashells made of a very pure silicon," Tamara explained.  
  
Eric gave her an incredulous look. "Plastic fish?" he asked sarcastically.  
  
Tamara refrained from rolling her eyes and replied, "Glass fish actually. If they’re as pure as Malok claims, they’ll be very useful in constructing electronics. Like that zap gun you’re so fond of."  
  
Eric subcontiously gripped his gun tighter and grinned. "Glass fish it is then."  
  
The Trader led the way across the plaza that now held a pair of small ships that looked like pears and into a huge two story building. Inside was a large open room containing a multitude of wooden tables and a long bar. The high ceiling was crisscrossed with metal beams from which dangled caged lights. Malok led the way over to a table on a dais at one end of the room. Zuivere was already seated with three men. The quartet stood as they approached.  
  
"A fine evening to you Trader," Malok greeted as he sat down. Zuivere smiled and bowed.  
  
"A fine evening to you as well, Trader. Rangers." she replied, "These are my companions, Sotak, Pryce and Zande."  
  
Eric looked them over critically. Sotak appeared perfectly human, with black hair and eyes so brown they were almost black. Pryce looked almost human, with black hair hiding bright green eyes, except he had pointed ears. Zande had paper white skin, yellow eyes and dirty brown hair.  
  
"I am Swata. These are Considine, Grau and Sa’ra," Eric finally said.  
  
"A pleasure," Sotak greeted pleasantly, "I hear you are from Earth."  
  
"That we are," Richard replied.  
  
Eric smiled tightly and seated himself at the table. The rest of his team followed suit.  
  
"Talik! Don’t keep our guests waiting!" Malok bellowed across the room.  
  
"Keep your hands clasped you impatient getling!" an equally large man bellowed back. Malok cheerfully waved and turned back to the table.  
  
"Pardon any unwelcome inquiry," Zuivere said, leaning across the table towards Sa'fra, "But you are Telerine are you not?"  
"I am," Sa'fra replied, "My people have long known that the Zentai are not the all-powerful Lords worthy of our devotion that our Creator claimed they were. However they are powerful enough to keep us as slaves despite our attempts to rebel. Fortunately the people of Earth stood against Dutiel and then Catiel and freed us. Myself and many of my fellow warriors have joined Earth to help rid this galaxy of the cursed Zentai."  
  
"We had heard rumors of such a resistance," Sotak said, "Tell me, how do you fair in your fight? The Zentai are formidable are they not?"  
  
"They may be megalomaniacs with superpowers, but they can be killed," Eric said, "We’re doing alright." He sat back with a cocky smirk.  
  
"Is that so? Well then. To the people of Earth," Sotak replied gracefully and lifted the goblet Talik had set down in front of him. Everyone else raised their goblets in reply. Eric studied Sotak over the rim of his goblet as he took a careful sip. Sotak smiled guilelessly in return.  
  
Then Talik returned with two assistants and four huge platters of food. Eric skeptically looked over the dark blue roots and pale orange meat but followed his team's example as Tamara and Richard helped themselves with their usual enthusiasm for trying new kinds of food. The conversation at the table turned to typical Trader talk; discussions of crops and speculations about weather.  
  
After dinner Malok and Zuivere cheerfully escorted the team back to the edge of the village.  
  
“Safe travels and heathy days to you all!" Malok said with a bow.  
  
"And to you as well," Tamara replied, repeating the gesture.  
  
"It has been interesting," Zuivere said.  
  
"Likewise," Richard responded.  
  
"Take care," Eric waved carelessly and turned to the forest. Richard and Tamara waved as well and followed. Sa'fra bowed before taking up the rear.  
  
Eric carefully swept the road with his flashlight as he led the way, keeping one ear on the forest and one ear on his team.  
  
"They seemed like friendly people. I think this will work out," Richard predicted with his usual optimism.  
  
"Perhaps we can propose trade with Zuivere as well," Tamara swept her flashlight causally over the trees, "She mentioned some kind of grain transporter that might be useful for other things as well."  
  
"We’ll make sure to note it to the Admiral," Richard agreed. The pair lapsed into silence in order to concentrate on the dark road.  
  
The team was approaching the edge of the trees when a dark figure suddenly blocked their path. Eric halted and raised his flashlight to illuminate Zuivere.  
  
"Hello again," he called suspiciously, "Did we forget something?"  
  
"Not really," Zuivere answered casually.  
  
A sudden flash of blue light illuminated the trees and the team collapsed, unconscious. Zuivere leaned over to inspect them and then the whole group vanished, leaving behind a dark forest and a few fluttering leaves.


	2. Tea With the Emperor

Eric abruptly sat up and grabbed his head with a groan. When the blur of black and gray in front of him stopped swimming he looked around. He was sitting in a small cell made of smooth gray metal. The wall off to his left consisted of metal bars spaced a few inches apart. Eric carefully stood and walked over to the bars. He found himself looking into a hexagonal room containing a single chair. Five of the walls were also made of bars. The sixth wall was smooth.  
  
"Considine, Grau, Sa'fra," Eric called quietly, "Are any of you there?"  
  
"I am here," Sa'fra appeared in the cell two down from Eric.  
  
"As am I," Tamara said from the cell next to Eric.  
  
"Me too. I think," Richard answered next to Sa'fra.  
  
"You think?" Eric asked sharply.  
  
"Yea, okay. I’m fine. My head just hurts like a bitch." Richard clutched his head and sat back down against the bars.  
  
"So what do you think? Zentai?" Eric asked Sa'fra.  
  
She shook her head. "The metal is unfamiliar to me and the construction down not appear to be typical Zentai."  
  
"Festran then?"  
  
"They at least do their dirty work themselves. And this Zuivere was too short to be Festran," Tamara answered.  
  
"So what then?" Eric snapped, frustrated.  
  
"I don’t know," Tamara replied calmly, "Mercenary perhaps."  
  
"Great, we have a bounty on our head," Richard leaned his head back against the bars with a sigh.  
  
"You sure you’re okay?" Tamara asked quietly.  
  
"Yea, I’m fine. I’m still not used to zap weapons," he assured her, "Although I don’t remember them giving me such a headache before."  
  
The sixth wall split and slid open before Eric could reply. Two large men with narrow faces and an odd gait entered and took up positions on either side of the door. Zuivere entered and twisted the chair around before draping herself in it sideways. Her pale blue eyes glittered dangerously.  
  
"How are you all feeling?" she asked pleasantly.  
  
"Just fine," Eric answered sharply, "Who are you and what do you want?"  
  
"I am Captain Katrina Young of the Halcon Latigo. And I want a lot of things."  
  
"What do you want from us?" Tamara asked.  
  
"That depends on what you can give me," Katrina leaned forward, "I’m in the business of trade you see. Weapons, medicine, technology ... information."  
  
"We won’t tell you anything," Eric said sharply.  
  
"I see." Katrina stood and wandered over to Eric’s cell.  
  
"Well, I gave up a very promising trade to obtain you. I would hate to not turn a profit," she shrugged, "So if you can’t give me information," she turned away from Eric and sauntered back to the center of the room, "I guess I’ll have to obtain something else," she looked Tamara up and down with a leer.  
  
Tamara straightened. "What are you saying?"  
  
"I’m saying there is a very high price on humans in the Andromeda Galaxy. They are considered quite the exotic item," Katrina purred.  
  
Tamara looked away with a slight shudder.  
  
"You wouldn’t dare," Eric said with a glare.  
  
Katrina smiled at him. "And who’s going to stop me? The Fleet? They have no idea where you are right now."  
  
"Listen, you’re making a mistake," Richard said from the floor, "We have some very powerful friends. Just let us go and no one has to get hurt."  
  
Katrina laughed. "How adorably cliche of you, Doctor Grau. I assure you, I know exactly what I’m doing. In fact," she turned to the guards, "Izc? Rech? Bring him. I know what to do with him."  
  
The guards stepped forward and opened the cell.  
  
Eric threw himself against his bars as they pulled Richard to his feet and out the door. "Let him go!"  
  
Katrina raised an eyebrow at him. "Then give me what I want."  
  
Eric subsided with a deep glare. Katrina grinned and turned to saunter out the door.  
  
"Laters," Katrina tossed over her shoulder as she left. The door slid shut with a resounding thud and the lights dimmed in the now silent room.  
  
  
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ  
  
  
Eric slammed his hand against the wall in frustration and then leaned against it. "Everything is seamless."  
  
"The builders obviously know what they were doing," Tamara commented from where she was similarly leaning against the wall.  
  
"If this Captain Young trades as she says she does, that would be sensible," Sa'fra added from her seat on the floor.  
  
"So what do we do now, sir?" Tamara asked.  
  
Eric clenched his fist. "We wait," he said after a moment, "and hope if we don’t find a way out of here, then the Fleet does manage to track us down."  
  
"And Richard, sir?"  
  
"We’ll find him. Even if we have to search every planet in the galaxy. I’m not going to let some merchant be the end of him."  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
"Get some rest. We don’t know when we’ll have to move."  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
  
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ  
  
  
Sometime later, the doors slid open again. Eric, Tamara and Sa'fra swiftly stood. Eric tensed as Katrina once again sauntered in with her guards.  
  
"We’re here," she announced.  
  
"Where is here?" Tamara asked.  
  
"An excellent question. Lucky for you, you get to find out in a minute. Bring her," Katrina ordered.  
  
"Wait," Eric demanded. Katrina glanced at him.  
  
"If I agree to give you information, will you let us go in exchange?" he asked cautiously.  
  
"Sir!" Tamara exclaimed.  
  
"Quiet!" Eric ordered.  
  
Katrina walked over to him and studied him carefully. "I think I can arrange that."  
  
"Alright," Eric tensed, "What do you want to know?"  
  
Katrina contemplated him for a second. "Where is Admiral Hernandez stationed?"  
  
"What?" Eric exclaimed.  
  
Katrina held up a finger. "Careful, General," she warned.  
  
Eric glanced over at Tamara. "She is on USO-1083. Hexnet coordinates Si, Udo, Ki, Reh, Mas, Twa," he said quickly.  
  
Katrina was silent for a moment, then she smiled enigmatically. "Thank you General. Escort them to the Hexnet," she ordered her guards and left the room. Izc and Rech stepped forward and opened the cells. They swiftly led the team down an empty hall and into a room with a hexagon and a familiar figure.  
  
"Richard!" Tamara exclaimed.  
  
The man looked up from inspecting the team’s equipment. "Guys! What happened?"  
  
"I traded some information. What happened to you?" Eric replied.  
  
"Well, I, um. I had tea," Richard said carefully.  
  
"You had what?" Eric asked sharply.  
  
"We had tea," a new voice replied. Eric spun around to see Sotak leaning against one wall.  
  
"It was quite pleasant," he stood and walked over to the group, "Now then, I presume you will be returning to Earth?"  
  
Without waiting for a response he pressed the address for Earth. With a flushed gurgle the Hexnet opened. Through the liquid horizon the team could see the familiar command room at Earth Station, the defense teams standing position, Admiral Aldono standing next to Space Ranger Beta unit and the symbol for Earth looming in the background. Eric reached into his vest and pulled out his radio.  
  
"Earth Station this is SRA," he reported. Admiral Aldono squinted through the Hexnet and then nodded.  
  
"I see you SRA. You’re overdue," he said.  
  
"We ran into some," Eric glanced over at Sotak, who smiled, "complications, sir."  
  
"I see. Come on through."  
  
"Thank you sir."  
  
Eric gave Sotak one last look and then stepped through the Hexnet. The rest of the team followed. Richard glanced back through the Hexnet at Sotak, who waved once before the portal evaporated.  
  
"What happened?" Aldono asked as SRA handed their equipment over to the waiting cadets.  
  
"We were captured," Eric replied grimly. Aldono frowned.  
  
"Captured? We were told the Zentai never visited that planet," Aldono appeared disconcerted by the apparent bad intelligence.  
  
Eric shook his head. "Not the Zentai. A trader," he corrected, well aware that the implications of that were not much better.  
  
"Alright. Get checked out. We can discuss it during debrief in an hour."  
  
Eric and Aldono exchanged salutes and Eric led his team from the room.


	3. USO-1083

Eric finished his report and leaned back in his chair. Aldono frowned at the table as he contemplated the situation. Richard scowled at Qadar Nido, an ex-mercenary who had recently joined SRB.  
  
"What do you know?" he asked sternly.  
  
She flashed him a mischievous grin. "Who says I know anything?" she said innocently.  
  
"You’re practically bouncing with excitement," Colonel James Sommerset, the commander of SRB, pointed out. Qadar pretended to look shocked.  
  
"You mean you don’t know?"  
  
"Qadar," James growled out.  
  
She rolled her eyes. "Fine. Captain Katrina of the Halcon Latigo, also known as the Striking Falcon is a legend. She first became well known when she led the uprising on Sechiu against Edule five years ago. Reportedly she beheaded him in front of his cheering Telerines. Since then she’s supposedly been responsible for the downfall of Oxalis and Trago. She’s also made herself a name as one of the best bounty hunters in the galaxy," Qadar paused and frowned, "However she was rumored to have gone through the InterWay to the Andromeda Galaxy two years ago. I don’t know why she returned."  
  
"I suspect Admiral Hernandez knows," Eric turned to Aldono. "You know the Admiral. Any idea what Young wants?"  
  
Aldono looked contemplative. He quickly typed something in on his tablet and frowned at the result.  
  
"I did know a Katrina Young once," he said slowly, "She was a Talon."  
  
"A what now?" Qadar asked.  
  
"Fleet’s secret operatives," Aldono replied, still studying the screen, "Young joined the Fleet at 16 and then was invited to join the Talons after she completed basic training two years later. She served with the Talons for almost ten years before she abruptly retired and vanished. Since the Talons are involved in black ops, there are no pictures or records of her past the fact that she existed, so we have no way to confirm anything."  
  
"And this Katrina Young knew Admiral Hernandez?" Colonel Alexandra Miller, SRB’s scientist and lieutenant, asked.  
  
Aldono nodded. "Hernandez and I served with the Talons while we were Majors. I know she and Young trained together frequently. I think they were friends of a sort. They kept in touch after Hernandez returned to the Fleet but I don’t think they stayed in contact after Hernandez went to Taran."  
  
"Maybe Hernandez owes some kind of debt?" James offered.  
  
Eric frowned. "Seems like she’s going to extremes for just a debt," he pointed out.  
  
James shrugged. "Could be a big debt."  
  
"We could ask her," Alex interjected.  
  
"Who?" James asked. Alex held back a sigh.  
  
"Hernandez. We should probably warn her that Young is looking for her. We can also ask her why," she proposed.  
  
Aldono considered the idea for a moment. "Alright," he decided, "SRA I’m sending you to USO-1083 for what is officially an annual review. Unofficially you are to inform Hernandez of the situation and find out what she knows. You can leave whenever you’re ready."  
  
Eric nodded and stood when Aldono did. The soldiers in the room also stood and snapped to attention. Aldono returned the salute and retreated to his office. Eric looked his team over.  
  
"Be in the gate room in an hour," he ordered. The rest of his team nodded and left to prepare.  
  
James sat back down and leaned back casually. "Kidnapped by a hot space pirate," he teased, "You guys get all the fun."  
  
Eric rolled his eyes and left.  
  
  
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ  
  
  
USO-1083 was a dry planet. The Hexnet was situated in the southern hemisphere in what the scientists claimed was a forest. Eric supposed that the presence of trees supported the theory, but given that the trees tended to twist and wind along the ground rather than grow upright and had a minimum dusting of needles, he thought that was a stretch.  
  
A pair of Marines met them at the Hexnet and radioed their arrival to the outpost before offering to escort the team to the outpost. Given that the outpost towered over the trees in three stories of concrete and glass, Eric declined.    
  
The team made their way down half a mile of dirt road to the outpost. They were greeted at the gate by another pair of Marines and Admiral Catherine Hernandez. Hernandez was a tall woman with short dark hair and naturally dark skin. Her dark blue eyes had the look of having seen too much. Eric recognized the look; his eyes were the same.  
  
Eric and Catherine shook hands.  
  
"Welcome to USO-1083, General," Catherine said dryly, "It’s not much to look at but I managed to steal the best chef at Earth Station."  
  
Eric grinned. "Thank you. I look forward to dinner."  
  
Richard and Tamara exchanged looks.  
  
"Let’s go up to my briefing room," Catherine suggested.  
  
Eric nodded and gestured for her to lead the way. Inside, the compound was dark and cool. Slits of windows gave glimpses of the forest on one side and a lush greenhouse on the other. Catherine led them up two flights of glass and metal staircases and down another dim hallway and into her conference room. The conference room had two stories of floor to ceiling windows that looked over the forest and to the sharply towering mountains in the distance on the north and west sides. The south wall had a long counter with a display of glasses. The last wall had the double doors they entered through and a staircase that lead up to Catherine’s office.  
  
"Nice view," Eric commented, thinking of his own windowless office in the underground Earth Station.  
  
Catherine shrugged. "There’s nothing here bigger than lizards and there was never a civilization. If the Zentai bother to show they can have it." She walked over to the bar and pulled a pitcher of juice from a refrigerator. Bringing it and five glasses over to the table she poured herself a drink and settled back in her chair at the head of the table.  
  
"Now then General. What brings you here to inspect me two months early?" she asked casually.  
  
Eric took a long drink, then set his glass on the table and leaned forward. "Do you know a Katrina Young?" he asked quietly.  
  
Catherine stiffened and set her glass down slowly. "I knew her once," she replied coolly.  
  
"We have intel that suggests she’s looking for you. Do you know why?" Eric asked carefully.  
  
"I have no idea what Young would want from me now," Catherine answered sharply.  
  
"Are you sure?" Eric pushed.  
  
"Yes, I’m sure," Catherine snapped. She stood from the table and tapped her radio twice. "Now I’m sure you would like to begin your inspection as soon as possible. Sergeant Crambe can show you around." She gestured to the soldier who had quietly entered the room behind her. "I’ll be in my office if you require anything else," she said and marched up the stairs.  
  
Eric stared after her in suspicion.  
  
"She’s definitely hiding something," Richard observed.  
  
"Yes, but what. She doesn’t strike me as the type to withhold crucial information," Tamara commented.  
  
"Maybe she doesn’t consider the matter important," Richard suggested.  
  
"Maybe," Eric replied doubtfully, "Well, we’ll stick around until Young shows up. In the meantime, let’s inspect."  
  
  
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ  
  
  
Katrina sat in her command seat staring vacantly at the swirling, nauseating colours of hyperspace. Only her fingers moved; the pinky and thumb tapped out an alternating rhythm on her armrest. Zande and Pryce exchanged glances a couple of time but remained silent. They reached their destination and the colours of hyperspace abruptly turned into star-studded black. Katrina jerked back slightly and blinked before turning to Zande.  
  
"We’ve arrived," he informed her unnecessarily.  
  
"Scan for the Hexnet."  
  
"Already started," Pryce replied, "And done."  
  
"Bring it up."  
  
An image of the planet appeared on the center screen in front of them with the Hexnet and the outpost highlighted in purple. Katrina leaned forward and Pryce helpfully zoomed in on the area. After a moment Katrina pointed to a meadow about a mile from the outpost.  
  
"Land us there," she ordered.  
  
Zande gifted her with a dubious glance. "Are you sure? They may not be able to see us, but they can probably hear us at that distance."  
  
Katrina gave him an impatient look. "I’m willing to risk it."  
  
Zande sighed but commanded the ship to descend. The entire crew knew that Katrina was growing impatient and antsy. It would likely be hazardous to his health to force her to take longer than nescesary to get to their destination. Katrina stood and turned to the large man sitting behind her.  
  
"You’re in charge as always," she commanded her first-mate, "Zande, Sotak, Izc and Rech will accompany me."  
   
The man nodded and remained sitting as Katrina left the bridge. The ship landed with Zande’s usual grace. The trees surrounding the meadow were barely ruffled as the ship powered down. After a moment Katrina and her chosen companions emerged and headed off into the trees.  
  
Katrina casually strolled toward the compound. The soft breeze and chirping of birds seemed at odds with the growing tension her companions could sense. The group emerged from the trees and startled the pair of soldiers guarding the gate of the compound. Katrina waved innocently at them as the soldiers raised their weapons. Within moments an entire group of soldiers were pointing weapons at them. A minute later SRA and Admiral Hernandez arrived.  
  
"Captain Young," Catherine said coldly, "What do you want?"  
  
Katrina imperceptibly froze and then smiled. "Admiral Hernandez," she called back equally coldly, "I found myself in the neighborhood and decided to stop by and say hello."  
  
"It seems you’ve got to a lot more trouble than just that," Catherine replied.  
  
Katrina leaned back and studied her for a moment. "Do you really want to do this here? Because I will," she said softly.  
  
They locked gazes for a long moment and seemed to forget that anyone else was present. Eric stepped forward to interrupt when Catherine abruptly turned away.  
  
"Show them to the conference room. The Captain and I will speak in my office."  
  
The soldiers lowered their weapons and stood to the side. Katrina and her people quietly followed SRA and Catherine into the building.


	4. Overdue

At a look from Katrina her companions carelessly arranged themselves around the conference room. Katrina followed Catherine up the stairs to her office. Inside Catherine stood in front of the windows at parade rest, not looking at Katrina.  
  
After a long moment, she spoke softly, "I waited."  
  
"I know," Katrina replied gently, "I tried, but relativity is a bitch." She shrugged carelessly.  
  
The silence stretched to a breaking point. Katrina stepped forward at the same time Catherine turned from the windows to her desk.  
  
"I came back," Katrina said.  
  
"You’re too late," Catherine said in the coldest voice Katrina had ever heard, carefully not making eye contact.  
  
Katrina stepped back. "I’ll never believe that." She waited a moment more and then left the office.  
  
Sotak and Zande looked up from where they were lounging at the table when Katrina came down the stairs.  
  
"Well?" Sotak asked conversationally.  
  
"Looks like we’ll be here for a while," Katrina replied cheerfully.  
  
"The hell you are," Eric growled.  
  
Katrina met his glare with a feral grin and the tension in the air spiked. Richard quickly stepped between them.  
  
"How about some lunch? We can discuss the situation afterward," he said diplomatically.  
  
Katrina looked from Eric to him and Richard barely refrained from flinching away from her gaze. Then her eyes softened and she smirked.  
  
"Lunch sounds lovely."  
  
"Good. I’ll be right back. Tamara?" Richard quickly turned towards the door. Tamara obligingly rose from the table and followed him from the room. Katrina surveyed the room and then gracefully seated herself at the head of the table. Behind her Izc and Rech lounged alertly against the wall. Eric copied her and they locked gazes again. Sa'fra’ra hid a smile by turning to look out the window.  
  
After a long moment during which Izc and Rech had begun to shift uneasily, Katrina spoke, "You’re rather young to be a General," she observed casually.  
  
"I was field promoted during the Battle of Mars," Eric replied tersely.  
  
"Ah," Katrina replied, subsiding, "Strong is a unified Earth," she murmured, as if speaking a prayer.  
  
Eric looked surprised but replied, "Together we will prevail," in the same tone. The tension in the room abruptly subsided and Eric stood. "I’m going to see what’s taking Richard so long," he announced and left the room.  
  
Sa'fra’ra raised an eyebrow as the door shut behind him and then stole his seat. In the new silence Katrina leaned back and stared out at the teal sky.  
  
"Battle of Mars?" Zande finally asked quietly. Katrina glanced at him before turning her attention back to the clouds.  
  
"Seven years ago Earth had still barely grasped space flight," she began quietly, "We had outposts on the moon and Mars, but didn’t have hyperspace technology or a Hexnet. No idea other life was out there. Therefore we were completely surprised when a Zentai mothership suddenly appeared next to Jupiter one day. It drifted closer over two days and ignored our attempts to communicate. Then it fired on Mexico City and demanded our surrender to the Great Lord Dutiel. We didn’t like that so we retaliated as best we could. One particularly talented and brave pilot, David Sidel, managed to get past the shields in a shuttle armed with a nuke and gave his life to destroy the ship.  
  
"After that Earth tentatively united and began mass-producing space shuttles and retrofitting them with weapons. Two months later Dutiel arrived in person with the rest of his fleet. We lost a quarter of the world’s population to ship fire and ground troops in the first two days.  
  
"Then it was just chaos. It didn’t matter where you came from or what language you spoke. If you could fly a shuttle or fire a weapon, you fought. Chains of command were being destroyed as soon as they were built.  
  
"We managed to hold him off for nineteen horrifying days until the Ithilian showed up and saved us. By that point we had managed to destroy two thirds of his fleet at the cost of three-quarters of ours and another quarter of the general population. People like Swata and Hernandez were promoted far younger and earlier than they expected as we tried to rebuild.  
  
"Two months later the Ithilian agreed to spend five years teaching hyperspace and Hexnet technology to a select group on their home world," Katrina trailed off in a way that implied ‘you know the rest,’ and stared silently at her hands.  
  
"The people of Earth truly are a formidable enemy," Sotak murmured. Zande nodded in agreement as several things finally made sense to him. A silent moment later Richard and his team burst through the door with sandwiches.  
  
  
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ  
  
  
They had just finished eating when Catherine emerged from her office with a tablet.  
  
"I just received a data burst from Earth Station," she announced, handing the tablet to Eric, "Three of Katos’s motherships have emerged near Neptune and are moving in fast."  
  
Eric stood as he looked over the information. "We’ll head back immediately."  
  
Katrina and Sotak exchanged glances.  
  
"We should come with you," Katrina said.  
  
"And why would I let you do that?" Eric snapped.  
  
"You might be able to use my help. Something’s wrong about the situation. That’s not Katos."  
  
"Three-sided pyramids, huge painting of a cat-goat thing,"  
  
"Katolin," Sotak interrupted.  
  
"Cat-goat thing," Eric repeated, "It’s Katos." He held up the tablet displaying the satellite images as proof.  
  
"I guarantee that’s not Katos," Katrina declared.  
  
"How are you so sure?" Eric exclaimed in disbelief.  
  
"She is certain because I am Lord Katos," Sotak spoke, but his voice seemed to echo through the heads of everyone present. Everyone but Katrina and Sa'fra cringed and made aborted motions to cover their ears. Eric, Sa'fra, and Tamara immediately pointed their weapons at Katos.  
  
"You’re Lord Katos?" Eric asked, still in disbelief.  
  
Katos gave him a sardonic look and then all the unoccupied chairs in the room rose and rearranged themselves in midair before settled back down with a series of soft taps.  
  
"Richard?" Eric attempted to glance at him without taking his eyes off Katos.  
  
"That’s Katos. He’s the only Zentai old enough to have learned telekinesis," Richard confirmed, also not taking his eyes off Katos. The Zentai lord grinned.  
  
"So I just had lunch with the most powerful Zentai alive," Eric said with a tiny edge of hysteria.  
  
"It appears we have," Sa'fra answered in an unperturbed voice.  
  
"Right, okay," Eric forced himself to calm down, "So three of your ships are threatening Earth and you don’t know why?"  
  
"Hetac," Katrina said suddenly.  
  
Katos made an odd gesture with his hand. "Of course."  
  
"Hetac?" Richard asked.  
  
"One of my lieutenants," Katos answered, "He is quite vocal in his disapproval of how fond I am of Earth and its humans." He stood quickly, ignoring the way the Earth soldiers tensed.  
  
"I should return to my fortress on Stachys. Katrina, you should go to Earth and deal with Hetac as necessary," he ordered.  
  
Katrina nodded and turned to Eric. "I need to get some supplies. We can use the Hexnet on my ship."  
  
Eric hesitated and looked from Katos to her and back again. "Fine," he agreed, lowering his gun.  
  
"Good. Move out," Katrina ordered and moved toward the door. She hesitated on the threshold and started to glance over at Catherine before quickly leaving the room. Katos, Zande, Izc and Rech followed at the same pace.  
  
Eric turned to Catherine and saluted. "Admiral."  
  
"General," she replied with a salute.  
  
"I still want answers,"  
  
"I have none to give." Catherine turned away.  
  
Eric frowned but followed his team from the room.


	5. We've Got This

Eric would never admit it, but he was impressed by the sight of the Halcon Latigo quietly resting in the meadow. The entire ship was made of shiny, uninterrupted metal. The main body of the ship was egg shaped and smoothly flattened against the ground at one end to form the bay doors. The sides also flattened, this time upwards to make a pair of triangular wings. Another, smaller egg shaped half dome perched on the top of the ship and obviously served as the bridge. The entire ship resembled a bird about to take flight.  
  
Katrina strode uninterrupted into the ship, up a flight of stairs and straight down a hall to the room containing the Hexnet. Zande quickly moved over to the control column and pressed in a set of coordinates. Katos stepped in front of Richard and held out his hand.  
  
"It was fun Doctor," he said, "I hope to meet you again."  
  
Richard was momentarily surprised but then he smiled and shook the offered hand.  
  
"Likewise," he replied, "Although I have to ask, ‘Sotak?’"  
  
Katos shrugged. "Fooled you." He grinned.  
  
Richard smiled back, ignoring Eric’s incredulous look. Katos nodded to the remainder of SRA and turned to Katrina. Behind him the Hexnet gurgled open to reveal an open field, a group of Telerines and a huge sculpture of a Katolin. Katrina and Katos silently gripped each other’s shoulders and then Katos strode through the Hexnet. The watery portal swirled away behind him.  
  
"Does Mars still have a Hexnet in orbit?" Katrina asked. Eric gave her a look but nodded.  
  
"Excellent. Dial Mars and prepare the Folder," Katrina ordered.  
  
Zande nodded and plugged in the coordinates for Mars. Then he walked across the room and began fiddling with a rather plain looking dark blue console. The Hexnet swirled and gurgled and smoothed out to reveal the darkness of space and the red curve of Mars. Katrina pressed a button on the communication console.  
  
"Hail Mars Command, this is the Halcon Latigo, come in," she said. The only response was silence. Katrina frowned at the column and then smiled ruefully. "I keep forgetting that this is the Milky Way not the Andromeda. Well, we’ll just have to risk it. Zande?"  
  
"Ready Captain."  
  
"Take us through," Katrina ordered. Before Eric could ask her what she was doing, the entire world seemed to fold itself inside out and then snap back into place. Eric shook his head and then realized that the Hexnet now calmly showed an open meadow; the same open meadow they had just been in.  
  
"What the hell was that?" Eric asked.  
  
"The Folder. It compresses the ship, shoves it through the Hexnet and unfolds it on the other side," Katrina grinned at him in a way that clearly showed how much she enjoyed surprising him.  
  
"It’s slightly more complicated than that," Zande said.  
  
Katrina waved a hand at him and tapped her earring. "Bridge, this is Katrina. Plot a course for Earth."  
  
She listened to the reply, nodded and left the room. Zande rolled his eyes and gestured for the rest of the group to follow him. They walked down the hall and into a small room. The doors closed and then opened onto what is clearly the bridge.  
  
Five chairs, two on the same level as the doors and three on the lower main floor were arranged to face three hanging screens. The one on the left displayed a map of the solar system and what appeared to be their current route. The one on the right displayed a series of numbers and graphs. The in the middle was currently blank, allowing the group to see through it and out the window. The only thing visible was the dizzying swirl of colours that indicated they were in hyperspace.  
  
Pryce was already in the left seat in front. A huge bald man with dark green skin and a shirt that rivaled hyperspace for colour was sitting in the chair closest to the doors. Katrina seated herself in the middle chair and began studying the left screen. Zande seated himself at her right and began typing on the pad in the arm of his chair. Katrina leaned back and beckoned Eric forward. He just reached her chair when the colours of hyperspace turned black and the circle of Earth filled the window.  
  
"We’re being hailed," Pryce announced.  
  
"That was fast. Respond," Katrina replied.  
  
The middle screen was suddenly filled with the familiar image of Commander Santiva. Katrina looked pointedly at Eric.  
  
"Commander," he said, stepping up next to Katrina.  
  
"General!" Santiva replied, obviously surprised. He quickly saluted. Eric returned the gesture.  
  
"I am aboard the Halcon Latigo. Request permission to establish high orbit. Also I’d like to speak to Aldono."  
"Permission granted. I’ll call Admiral Aldono now."  
  
"Thank you," Eric replied. The image on the screen disappeared. The image of Earth grew bigger in the window and then stilled as they settled into geosynchronous orbit.  
  
"Another hail," Pryce announced and didn’t bother to wait for confirmation before bringing the image up on the screen. This time Admiral Aldono stood behind Santiva.  
  
"Admiral!" Katrina exclaimed, "It’s been a while."  
  
"Indeed," Aldono replied flatly.  
  
"I heard you were having a Telerine problem, thought I’d stop by and help out," Katrina declared flippantly. Aldono frowned.  
  
Before an argument could erupt, Tamara stepped forward. "Perhaps it would be best if we discussed this at the Station, sirs" she said smoothly, "Captain, can you beam us down?"  
  
"Of course. Permission to use the Hexnet as a beaming target sir?" she asked. Eric was positive she was being sarcastic, but her voice was perfectly neutral. Aldono gave her a hard look and then nodded.  
  
"Permission granted."  
  
"Thank you, we’ll be down in a minute," Katrina answered. The image on the screen disappeared. Katrina stood from her chair and strode toward a door opposite the elevator.  
  
"Zande, stay here this time. Bertrand, you’re still in charge," she ordered. The green man waved nonchalantly at her as she disappeared out the door.  
  
Eric looked at his team and then followed. They walked down another smooth, short corridor to a room containing a beaming platform. Katrina plugged commands into the control column and stepped up onto the platform. SRA followed suit and found themselves in the departure room of Earth Station. Aldono and SRB were standing in front of the Earth symbol and behind a wall of Marines. Katrina held up her hands.  
  
"Stand down," Aldono ordered.  
  
Katrina smiled and smoothly brought one hand down and out to shake. The other she carefully held open and slightly away from her side. "Admiral, thank you for having me," she said politely.  
  
Aldono carefully shook her hand. "Welcome back to Earth, Captain. This is Space Ranger Beta unit, Colonel Miller, Colonel Sommerset, Qadar Nido and Vasha'nday Heyso."  
  
Qadar eagerly stepped forward with her hand out.  
  
"It’s an honour Falcon," she said enthusiastically. Katrina looked her over quickly and then grasped her forearm.  
  
"I think I have heard of you, The Snake of Brassica, yes?" she said. Qadar grinned widely.  
  
"That’s me," she said. Katrina matched her grin.  
  
"We’ll have to trade stories sometime," she offered.  
  
Aldono cleared his throat. "Perhaps we can move to the conference room," He gestured to the door. Katrina nodded to him and preceded him from the room, the Rangers following.  
  
Aldono seated himself in his usual chair at the head of the table. Katrina gracefully sprawled at the foot of the table and the Rangers sat or stood somewhere in between. Aldono pushed a button on a remote and images and information filled the screen on one wall.  
  
"The motherships fired on the Mars base twenty minutes before you appeared out of hyperspace. We managed to evacuate most of the personal in ships, but the base was destroyed," he explained.  
  
"That explains the lack of communication. I thought you just didn’t have a command tower. Have they made any further moves?"  
  
Aldono gave her a stern glance but answered, "Not that we know. We suspect they’re either making sure the base was completely destroyed or surveying our defenses, but we don’t know for sure."  
  
"He’s waiting for you," Katrina leaned forward.  
  
"What?" Alex asked.  
  
"He knows you have advanced defense satellites and ground installations as well as your fleet. He’ll probably tie up your gate by calling in and then shoot down any ships you send his way until the Fleet is weakened enough for him to strike," Katrina explained, "That’s Katos’s standard tactic. Katos may be using Zentai technology, but he designed and built those ships himself. The shields are stronger and weapons more effective than other Zentai ships."  
  
"So how do we counter him?" Aldono asked the room.  
  
There was a moment of silence and then Katrina spoke again. "We destroy the ships from the inside."  
  
"Explain."  
  
"If you get aboard the ship and disable the shield generators with small explosives, the entire ship will blow in less than two minutes. It’s a tactic I used to destroy three ships during the Battle of Mars; four actually, one got caught in the blast. Those ships blow hard," Katrina finished with a wink. Eric rolled his eyes, but Alex frowned.  
  
"How does disabled the shields destroy the ship?" she asked.  
  
"Ah," Katrina raised a finger, "In Zentai power generators a shield that lets out energy but not matter is used to condense deuterium until the density is high enough that fusion starts. It’s basically a mini-sun. One flaw in Zentai ship construction is that the same field generator is used for shields and the power generators because fields are hard to construct. Destroy the generator, the fusion core is no longer contained and the entire ship goes nova."  
  
After that explanation Alex looked contemplative.  
  
James, however, looked excited. "That sounds like a solid plan sir. I’d volunteer for it."  
  
Eric and Aldono shared a long glance.  
  
"What do you think Miller?" Eric asked.  
  
"I suppose it would work sir. How would we get aboard the ship? They haven't planted any beaming platforms we could comandeer."  
  
Katrina leaned back in her chair.  
  
"A shield is an oscillating energy wave right?" After Alex nodded, she continued, "So if you make your shield oscillate exactly out of phase,"  
  
"They’ll cancel out! Of course, it’s basic wave physics," Alex interrupted, excited. Then she frowned, "But you’d have to be able to measure the oscillation of the shield and then match yours."  
  
"My ship can do that," Katrina assured.  
  
"Your ship can? Wow," Alex raised an eyebrow, impressed.  
  
"What do you think?" Eric asked Aldono.  
  
"I’m inclined to give it a try."  
  
"There is one thing though," Katrina interrupted. The commanders looked at her; Katrina grinned like a shark.  
  
"I don’t work for free," she said. Eric hid a wince; he should have heard that one coming.  
  
"What do you want in exchange?" Aldono asked, hiding a frown.  
  
Katrina leaned forward and set her hands palm down on the table."I want Admiral Hernandez to be honourably discharged, with all the commendations her position and accomplishments deserve," she explained carefully.  
  
Aldono raised an eyebrow. "I’ll see what I can do."  
  
"Work fast, Hatec won’t wait forever," Katrina said. Her tone was carefully modulated, but contained a heavy hint of warning.  
  
Aldono met her gaze for a long moment. "Vasha'nday, Sa'fra’ra, would you try to contact Pastinac and let them know we may have to evacuate soon. Colonel Sommerset, contact the Fleet and tell them to continue to hold their fighters back. Miller, pull up all the intel we have on the systems on Katos’s ships. Considine, keep an eye on Young. Eric, we have a call to make," he ordered eventually.  
  
The soldiers stood and saluted before moving to their tasks. Katrina leaned back in her chair and stared Richard and Tamara down with a grin as the room emptied.  
  
"So you’re both doctors then?" she asked casually.  
  
"Yes, although my doctorate is in Archeology and hers is in Anthropology," Richard answered, determined to keep things friendly and civil. Katrina tilted her head to the side.  
  
"What’s the difference?" she asked.  
  
"He studies dead people, I study living ones," Tamara replied tersely.  
  
"Got all sides covered don't you?" Katrina teased. Tamara shrugged. Katrina smiled and leaned back in the chair; the perfect picture of calm except for her left pinky and thumb tapping out a steady beat.  
  
  
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ  
  
  
Half an hour later Aldono and Eric emerged from Aldono’s office. The rest of the Rangers had filtered back into the room and had been listening to Qadar and Katrina exchange stories. Aldono sat back down at the head of the table and carefully folded his hands together. Eric remained standing behind him.  
  
"The Joint Chiefs could not agree to your terms. They are, however, willing to discuss monetary compensation for the use of your ship," Aldono said carefully.  
  
Katrina shook her head. "Those are my only terms."  
  
Aldono took a deep breath. "You’re certain?"  
  
Katrina nodded.  
  
Aldono stood. "Very well. I’ll go contact the Fleet."  
  
"Won’t work," Katrina sang softly.  
  
"You’d be surprised what we’ve done with the laser system on our satellites," Eric snapped.  
  
Katrina shrugged.  
  
"Bring up the satellite images," Eric ordered Alex. She typed into the command console. The screen on the wall changed from schematics to a video feed. Three motherships hovered eerily still in the black void of space. Unlike typical Zentai motherships, which consisted of a single four-sided pyramid, Katos’s ships were made of three three-sided pyramids joined at the bottom corners to form an equilateral triangle in the center. The center triangle was a platform from which Katos’s fighters launched, rather than a more standard bay.  
  
As the group watched, a small network of satellites left Earth’s orbit and flew toward the ships. As they flew, arcs of energy grew between the satellites until they formed a net of energy.  
  
"The satellites will latch onto the shield and drain it of power, letting our fighters in to attack," Alex explained quietly to Katrina, "We only need three to get through for it to work."  
  
Katrina remained silent.  
  
As the satellites got closer all six of the external tips of the pyramids began to glow. Suddenly beams of energy shot from the tips. The shields on the satellites held under the force of a single beam, but whenever two crossed, the satellite disintegrated. The net wavered and then disappeared as the satellites were destroyed in quick succession. Silence permeated the room.  
  
"They were destroyed ten miles from the shield. That’s well outside the range of fighter weaponry," Alex said quietly, not looking up from her tablet.  
  
"I told you it wouldn’t work," Katrina said.  
  
Eric slammed his hands down on the table. "Damnit, what the hell is your game?" he snarled at Katrina.  
  
She raised an eyebrow. "Who said I’m playing games?" she taunted.  
  
"You’re lovers," Alex said suddenly and blushed as everyone looked at her. Eric looked faintly appalled, Richard and Aldono looked contemplative, Qadar looked delighted, Tamara was fighting the urge to snicker,  Vasha'nday and Sa'fra’ra were unperturbed, and James started thinking dirty thoughts. Katrina stared Alex down until she gave in to the urge to babble.  
  
"It sounds ridiculous but it kind of makes sense. You weren’t close friends because you had to hide. And then you were separated for all this time and then you finally come back but she doesn’t want you anymore so you’re trying to win her heart or something…" Alex trailed off and cringed.  
  
Then Katrina threw her head back and laughed, hard. When she finally regained control she looked at Alex and smiled.  
  
"I bet you read romance novels. Yes, it’s true. We are-were lovers for four years before Catherine went to Taran," Katrina explained.  
  
Eric wanted to hit his head against the table, repeatedly.  
  
Aldono stood again. "I’m going to go make another call to the Joint Chiefs. I’m sure they’ve heard about the satellites’ failure by now," he announced and fled the room.  
  
Katrina snickered briefly, then grew serious. "I would like to know, though, why I returned expecting to find a decorated hero and instead found she had been hidden away and given the humiliating position of baby-sitting scientists," she said quietly. No one in the room was willing to meet her stern gaze.  
  
Then Aldono emerged from his office. He was not a man who easily revealed his emotions, but everyone could tell he was fighting the urge to grin. "They’re willing to give you anything you want," he announced.  
  
Katrina stood. "Excellent. Anyone coming with me should be in front of the Hexnet in ten minutes," she ordered. The tone of her voice demanded that no one argue and the Rangers fled the room to gather equipment.  
  
Katrina turned to Aldono.  
  
"I always wondered," he said.  
  
Katrina shrugged. "I can’t explain it. It’s just how it is."  
  
Aldono shook his head and then offered her a salute. "Good luck."  
  
Katrina snapped to attention and saluted in return. "Don’t need it, but thank you sir," she replied and left the room.


	6. On Deck

Katrina beamed aboard her ship already moving. She entered the bridge in a flurry of commands.  
  
"Time to shields?"  
  
"Ten minutes."  
  
"Cloaks and shields up."  
  
"Already done."  
  
"Weapons primed?"  
  
"Always are."  
  
"Start measuring shield oscillation. I don’t want to give them a chance to detect us. Where are Eria and Vira?"  
  
"Right here Captain," a large woman with platinum blond hair and eyes so light blue they were almost clear replied. She was standing next to another woman who could have been her sister. She stepped forward and handed Katrina a pocketed vest and gun as she stood from her chair.  
  
"Thank you Eria," Katrina said and turned to address the rest of the group, "We’ll board the ship in teams of three, two Rangers and one of my crew. Beaming tech can only accurately penetrate about a hundred yards into the ship. Radios can penetrate about two hundred yards in. Shields are generated inside the ship and channeled to the surface in conduits similar to fiber optics. Find one of these conduits and follow it to the generator. Plant explosives and get back out to beaming range. We’ll detonate the explosives as soon as everybody is aboard the ship."  
  
"If we have to be inside their shields, won’t we be too close?" Alex interrupted.  
  
"My shields are kinetic," Katrina replied, "Do you have detectors you can use to trace the field energy inside the conduits?"  
  
"Right here," Alex replied.   
  
"Good. General, who are your teams?"  
  
Eric barely glanced at his team before replying.  
  
"Miller and Nido, Vasha'nday and Grau, myself and Sa'fra."  
  
"Alright. Vira, you’re with Nido and Miller. Eria with Vasha'nday and Grau. I’ll go with you General," Katrina ordered, pointing at the corresponding people as she listed them off.   
  
Vasha'nday and Eria sized each other up; Richard looked both nervous and comforted at being assigned two huge warriors. Qadar grinned lecherously at Vira, who ignored her. Alex fiddled with two devices before handing one to Richard.   
  
Katrina accepted her own detector from Zande. "Two minutes out," he reported.  
  
"Do you have a lock on the oscillations?"   
  
"Yes ma’am," Pryce replied quietly.  
  
Tense silence filled the bridge as the ships in the window grew larger and larger. The middle screen showed an overlay of the shields and the measured oscillation. The left screen showed a readout of their own shield’s oscillation. Zande and Pryce didn’t take their eyes off the screens as they tossed information back and forth.  
  
"Reaching final approach."  
  
"Cutting main sublight engines. Engaging thrusters."  
  
"Oscillation holding steady."  
  
"Reducing speed."  
  
"Contact in 3, 2, 1."  
  
Nearly everyone held his or her breath as the ship slowly drifted toward the shield and with a soft fizzle bumped against it. There was a small flare and then a hole opened in both shields. The hole expanded and their ship carefully slid through. The left hand screen flared to life and displayed a video feed of the hole in the shield contracting and closing behind them.  
  
"We’re through."   
  
Katrina stood. "Bertrand, you have the bridge. Teams to the beaming platform."  
  
The assigned teams quickly filled out of the bridge and beamed away one by one. Katrina, Sa'fra, and Eric beamed away last. All three of them had their weapons up and ready before they even beamed out. The deserted hallway was made of dark blue metal with gray columns spaced evenly along the walls. Katos apparently had no taste for the gaudy gold decorations that had hung from the walls in every other Zentai ship Eric had been in.  
  
Katrina glanced up and down the corridor before holding her detector up. She held it near the wall and watched the readout for a long minute before turning and pointing. "That way."  
  
Eric nodded. "You take point, Sa’fra our six."  
  
His companions nodded and moved out. Eric carefully kept one eye on the corridor ahead and one eye on Katrina as she intently followed the directions given to her by the scanner. At several points, Katrina froze and gestured her companions back against the wall. They waited in still silence as groups of Telerines marched through the adjoining corridors. Katrina would always wait, alert for any change in their stride, until the heavy thuds faded before gesturing her group forward. Eventually they came to a corridor where she gestured them back and peered around the corner before turning to her companions.  
  
"Two guards," she murmured.  
  
Eric raised his gun, but Katrina held up a hand and shook her head. She reached into a pocket on her vest and pulled out a small knife. The edge of the blade flickered and then began to glow red.   
  
"Laser knife, quieter,"   
  
Katrina slipped around the corner. A second later there was a muffled groan and thump. Then a shout that cut off abruptly. There was a second of silence then Katrina quietly called out, "All clear."  
  
Eric and Sa’fra quickly moved around the corner and into the room, ignoring the bleeding bodies on the floor. The field generator was a huge metal sphere surrounded by flickering energy. The energy arced and disappeared down the end of several huge conduits suspended above the sphere.   
  
Katrina, Eric and Sa’ra quickly separated and placed their explosives around the chamber, then regrouped at the door. Katrina stared at her detector for a moment.  
  
"We had to take a slightly convoluted route to get here," she explained quietly, "If we go left out the door and then left again we should have a straight shot to where we can be beamed out."  
  
Eric nodded. "Let’s move fast."  
  
Sa’ra and Katrina nodded in reply and they quickly moved out. This time one of them would move to the next intersection and look around before gesturing the others forward. They quickly leapfrogged their way toward the exterior of the ship. Then Eric peered around a corner to meet the startled gaze of a pair of guards. They shouted and moved toward him.  
  
"Crap!" he exclaimed as he quickly pulled back and readied his gun.  
  
"It’s okay, we’re clear. Halcon, this is Katrina, beam us aboard!" Katrina shouted back. The trio vanished just as the guards came around the corner.   
  
Katrina was still talking on the radio as they appeared on the Halcon. "What’s the status of the other teams?" She stepped down from the platform.  
  
"Eria’s team is back, but we’ve been getting radio static from Vira’s team for five minutes."  
  
"The radios shouldn’t take that long to clear up," Katrina snapped and stepped back up on the platform. "Beam me down."  
  
"I’m going too," Eric demanded as he stepped back up next to her. They didn’t have time to argue as the walls dissolved around them. They appeared weapons ready in yet another deserted corridor. Katrina tapped her radio.  
  
"Vira, report," she demanded.   
  
There was a moment of silence. Then, "Captain! We’re pinned down in a storage room about halfway to the generator. Qadar took a hit. She’s alive, but down," Vira’s calm voice made an odd contrast to the sound of weapons fire and Telerines shouting in the background.   
  
Katrina glanced down at her detector. "I have your beacon. We’re on our way," she replied. She pointed down the hall and Eric nodded.   
  
They moved off quickly and quietly. Eric was surprised how easy it was to move with Katrina. She was obviously well trained and did not waste energy double guessing him or asking questions every time he gestured for them to stop or move down a different hall. The sound of weapons grew louder as they swiftly moved in the direction Katrina pointed out.   
  
They finally came around a corner and behind a line of Telerine soldiers. The pair immediately opened fire and managed to take out several soldiers before the Telerines managed to return fire. However, pinched between Eric and Katrina, and Alex and Vira, the remaining soldiers didn’t last long. Katrina rushed over to the other team and knelt down next to Qadar.   
  
"Stun weapon to the head," Vira murmured. Katrina nodded and pulled a pen out of her pocket and stabbed Qadar in the thigh with it. Qadar sucked in a huge breath and sat upright.   
  
Katrina carefully supported her shoulders. "It’s alright, just breathe," Katrina murmured to her. Then she looked up at the rest of the group.  
  
"Vira, Miller, help her. Eric take the rear," she ordered. The others nodded and the group moved out as fast as they could. They sacrificed stealth for speed as they could hear boots moving toward them. Unfortunately Qadar was still mostly unconscious and slowed them down. They managed to duck around a corner when the Telerines caught up to them and opened fire.  
  
"Halcon, this is Katrina. Can you beam us out?" Katrina practically shouted into her radio.  
  
"Negative. You’re just on the edge of where we can reach. It’s too risky."  
  
"We’ll have to take that risk!" Katrina turned to fire behind herself when another group of soldiers appeared in the corridor in front of them and the group were forced to duck behind the dubious cover of the columns that lined the walls.   
  
"Zande! Beam us up now!" Katrina shouted again. The group vanished just as the column next to Eric exploded. They reappeared in the beaming room and Vira immediately collapsed with Qadar. Katrina turned to her.  
  
"Took a shot in the leg," Vira said, "I’ll be alright."   
  
Katrina nodded and stepped off the platform as the medical team waiting for them stepped up and took charge of Qadar and Vira. Katrina strode back into the bridge and nodded in greeting to the rest of the group waiting there before standing in front of the center screen.  
  
"Hail Hetac," she ordered. There was a pause and then a Telerine soldier wearing gold and black armor appeared on the screen.  
  
"Witch!" he exclaimed as soon as he saw Katrina.  
  
"Traitor Hetac," she replied coldly. The man drew himself up.  
  
"I am no traitor. I have come to cleanse the galaxy of the poison that clouds our Lord’s mind!"  
He was obviously going to say more but Katrina interrupted him.  
  
"How ironic then that Lord Katos himself sent me to punish you."  
  
Hetac frowned deeper. "I refuse to believe that."  
  
Katrina laughed and raised her arms. "Behold the judgment of the Gods!"  
  
A muffled explosion was heard in the background. Hetac’s eyes widened and his image disappeared. The ship in front of them was briefly enveloped in a brilliant flare of white and then shards of metal were flying toward them. The shrapnel began disintegrating in flares of green and red as they hit the Halcon’s shields. Katrina laughed maniacally then turned slightly toward Zande.  
  
"Take us out of here," she ordered and turned back to the window as the ship began to move backwards before turning and speeding away.  
  
Katrina took her seat. "Better than fireworks."  
  
"Was that last bit really necessary?" Eric asked in a pained voice.   
  
Katrina gave him an incredulous look. "Of course it was. I always say you have to enjoy what you do. It’s not worth doing otherwise," she lectured.   
  
Eric looked at Zande who nodded and gave him a sympathetic look. Eric sighed and turned back to the window. After a moment he began fidgeting with his gun.   
  
Katrina glanced over at him and smiled. "I think I can fly my own ship General. Why don’t you go see how Qatar’s doing? The infirmary is just past the beaming room."   
  
Eric looked at her in surprise and she responded with a raised eyebrow.  
  
"Thank you," he finally said quietly and left the bridge. The rest of the Rangers followed.   
  
Katrina leaned back in her chair and sighed deeply. A comfortable silence filled the bridge as the blue orb of Earth gradually grew larger and larger. Katrina began absently tapping her pinky and thumb in an alternating rhythm. She stopped when a large green hand covered her shoulder. She looked up at Bertrand.  
  
"It will all work out," he said calmly.   
  
Katrina smiled softly at him and covered his hand with hers. Then she looked at Zande. "Hail Earth Station."   
  
He nodded and spoke quietly into his radio. A moment later an image of Admiral Aldono appeared on the center screen.  
  
"All three ships were destroyed," Katrina reported calmly.   
  
Aldono smiled. "We saw. Good work Captain."  
  
"Thank you. Qadar was stunned, but she’ll be fine. Fastiel is an excellent healer."  
  
"Good to hear. I’d like to offer thanks on behlaf of Earth for your assistance."  
  
"Anytime."  
  
There was a pause then Aldono spoke again,  
  
"We sent a messenger to fetch Admiral Hernandez just after you left. We expect them to return within the hour."  
  
"Thank you Admiral. We’ll be in high orbit in fifteen minutes," Katrina said quietly. Aldono nodded and his image vanished. Bertrand squeezed Katrina’s shoulder and turned to go inform the Rangers.


	7. The Requisite Happy Ending

The Space Rangers beamed into Earth Station to applause and cheerful congratulations. It wasn’t until they had dispersed to put away their equipment or go to the infirmary that Eric noticed Katrina had not beamed down with them. He thought about radioing her and then forgot in the rush of debriefings and calls from the capital.  
  
Admiral Catherine Hernandez walked through the Hexnet to be cheerfully greeted by the Marine squad, Commander Santiva, and Admiral Aldono. After a quick and boring debrief on her work on USO-1083 she was shown to guest quarters where her dress uniform had already been laid out. That evening at the Fleet Headquarters in New Denver, Catherine was honorably discharged from her duties as Fleet Admiral, First Class. She smiled and shook hands and carefully avoided looking at the northwest corner near the windows. After the ceremony she was escorted to a limousine that smoothly left the city behind.  
  
The limousine quietly drove through the suburbs of New Denver and pulled up in front of a dark two-story house that was as unremarkable as the houses around it. Catherine let out a soft breath as the driver quickly got out and opened her door. Stepping out quietly she studied the house as the driver fetched the pair of duffel bags in the trunk. Catherine smiled at the young cadet and reached for the bags.  
  
"I can take it from here," she murmured.  
  
The young man saluted. "Good evening ma’am," he said, got back into the limousine and drove off.  
  
Catherine refrained from sighing and determinedly marched up the walk. Unlocking the door she toed off her shoes and left them beside the bags in the dark front hallway. Catherine didn’t bother turning on any lights as she made her way to the kitchen. Ignoring the quiet figure sitting at the island counter she fetched a dusty glass from a cabinet and rinsed it in the sink. Catherine lifted the glass to her lips and tried to prevent it from shaking as Katrina stood and moved toward her. Catherine set the glass down on the counter and looked away as Katrina leaned against the counter next to her.  
  
"Catherine," Katrina said quietly. Catherine instinctively looked at her and froze. Neither of them breathed for a long moment and then they simultaneously moved forward. Their kiss wasn’t graceful or sweet, it was hard, desperate and passionate. Catherine tilted her head back and tried to breath when Katrina began pressing kisses and bites down her neck. Katrina nearly tore her jacket trying to get it off and Catherine returned the favor with Katrina’s shirt. Katrina began frantically trying to unbutton Catherine’s shirt before giving up and ripping it open. Catherine tried to protest the small rain of buttons but Katrina silenced her with another hard kiss.  
  
"You don’t need it anymore," she muttered. Catherine silently agreed. She ran her hand through Katrina’s loose hair and pulled her head back and set to making her own marks on Katrina’s neck. Katrina gasped and began fumbling with Catherine’s pants. Catherine pulled back.  
  
"Bedroom," she muttered, "Not doing this in the kitchen."  
  
Katrina whined, but had no choice but to follow as Catherine did not relinquish her grip on her hair. Catherine fell back on the bed and pulled Katrina with her. Katrina wiggled and slid down her lover’s body to fuss with the zipper on her uniform pants. She succeeded in getting them mostly off before Catherine pulled her back up.  
  
"Want to feel all of you," Catherine muttered before kissing her. Katrina grinned into the kiss and set about fulfilling that request.  
  
  
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ  
  
  
Sunlight was beginning to filter through the curtains and dimly illuminate the room when Katrina stirred. She stretched slightly and rolled over to cuddle with empty air. Frowning she sat up and listened. The bathroom was silent so she stood and stumbled from the bedroom. She yawned a couple of times while she made her way down the hall and into the kitchen. Catherine was sitting at the table watching a bowl of cereal slowly get soggy. Katrina sprawled in the chair opposite her with her usual grace and commenced staring at the cereal as well. After a moment Catherine’s fingers flexed slightly.  
  
"So I heard you held the Earth hostage for me," she said quietly. Katrina shrugged.  
  
"It wasn’t quite that dramatic," she replied easily. Catherine gave her a knowing look that Katrina returned with a sly smile.  
  
"I do wonder why it was necessary though," Katrina murmured thoughtfully, fighting to keep the dark frown off her face. Catherine looked back at her cereal.  
  
"I came back from Taran with some strong ideas about using the Hexnet for exploration and missions of good will. The Joint Chiefs disagreed. They were afraid of what could come through the Hexnet so they wanted to restrict missions. I had enough support that they needed me out of the way, but I was valuable enough that they couldn’t simply retire me. They told me I could command the new Fleet base they were building or be court martialed on some trumped up charge." Catherine paused and let out a soft, shuddering breath. "I thought you weren’t coming back so I took the post. It didn’t seem worth fighting," she finished softly.  
  
Katrina bit her lip and leaned forward to grab Catherine’s hand where it was fiddling with the rim of the bowl. Catherine looked up and they locked gazes.  
  
"Do you trust me?" Katrina said softly.  
  
Catherine did not blink. "Of course," she murmured reverently.  
  
"Then trust that I will always come for you. Always," Katrina said firmly.  
  
Catherine smiled. "I will," she replied in the same tone.  
  
Katrina leaned forward to kiss her softly. "Good. Now come back to bed. We’re not getting up until noon," she commanded.  
  
Catherine pouted at her. "I can’t sleep until noon," she complained.  
  
Katrina grinned wickedly. "Who said anything about sleeping?"  
  
Catherine returned the grin and obediently followed her back to the bedroom.  
  
  
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ  
  
  
The shadows had shifted to the other side of the bed when Katrina let Catherine slip out of her arms and they untangled themselves from the sheets. Catherine stretched, sauntered into the bathroom and shut the door in Katrina’s face when she tried to follow. Katrina frowned at the door.  
  
"Tease," she shouted through the wood. Catherine laughed in a low, sultry way and turned on the shower.  
  
"Yea, whatever," Katrina muttered fondly and turned to investigate the closet. After rooting through the numerous immaculately pressed uniforms she finally found a pair of jeans. She held them up and frowned.  
  
"Catherine, beautiful," she called.  
  
"What?" Catherine called back, shutting off the water.  
  
"You only have one pair of non-regulation pants and they’re the ones I bought you eight years ago," Katrina replied. The bathroom door slid open slowly.  
  
"I never had reason to buy another pair," Catherine replied, leaning against the frame. Katrina looked at her and then dropped the pants to pull her into a kiss.  
  
"You have reason now," she said when they broke apart, "I’m taking you shopping."  
  
"Okay," Catherine said. She strolled over to the jeans and picked them up to study them. Katrina shook her head in fond exasperation and slipped into the bathroom for her own shower.  
  
  
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ  
  
  
Six stores and four harried fitting attendants later Catherine sat on a bench staring at the small mountain of bags at her feet. She looked up at Katrina when she returned with two bottles of water.  
  
"So," Catherine began after opened her bottle and taking a long drink.  
  
"So," Katrina parroted. Catherine rolled her eyes.  
  
"How did you end up in the Andromeda galaxy?" she asked. Katrina smiled ruefully and leaned back.  
  
"You know I joined the Fleet for my father and stayed for you. After you left I found myself drifting. A joint mission with the Ithilian took my team to a trade planet near the InterWay. I wound up drinking and gambling with some traders. The next morning I woke up with the worst hangover of my life and a brand-new ship," she explained, then added, "And Zande. I took off and only looked back once. I only regret that I apparently looked back a year late."  
  
Catherine contemplated her bottle for a moment.  
  
"The Striking Falcon?" she finally asked with a wicked grin. Katrina blushed.  
  
"Apparently Zande started calling me that behind my back after he found out the meaning of the ship’s name. By the time someone called me it to my face the stories and the name had already spread. After that I never bothered to explain to him that I named the ship for you," she explained quickly.  
  
Catherine leaned over and kissed her softly. "It’s okay. I like the idea of you wearing my name all those years."  
  
They smiled softly at each other and kissed again.  
  
"Come on," Katrina murmured after a moment, "I want to take you to Capparelli’s; if it’s still open."  
  
"It is," Catherine replied, "Are you still going to make me dance?"  
  
"Oh definitely."  
  
  
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ  
  
  
The next morning Catherine woke before the sun rose like she always did. Instead of getting up to run, she turned to watch her sleeping lover. Smiling at the thought she reached out and carefully traced Katrina’s cheek. Katrina made a discontented noise and ducked her head to snuggled closer. Catherine carefully ran her fingers through her hair, noting the natural blond highlights and few strands of white that hadn’t been there before. Katrina muttered something and opened one eye. Catherine pulled back.  
  
"I didn’t mean to wake you," she said softly. Katrina leaned up for a kiss.  
  
"It’s okay," she replied, "This gives me time to ravish you before my meeting with Aldono."  
  
"Is that a promise?" Catherine teased.  
  
"No," Katrina replied curtly. She wrapped an arm around Catherine’s shoulders and quickly rolled them over. Strategically wrapping herself around Catherine so she couldn’t move, Katrina buried her head in her shoulder.  
  
"Go back to sleep," Katrina muttered, "I’ll ravish you when I have the brain function to do it properly."  
  
Catherine smiled and began to softly run her fingers through her hair again. The repetitive action soothed her and she dozed off.  
  
  
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ  
  
  
Katrina politely returned Aldono’s salute and sat properly in the chair across from him.  
  
"First I would like to extend thanks and congratulations on behalf of the Capitol," Aldono began. Katrina nodded.  
  
"You’re welcome. My thanks as well," she said politely. Aldono nodded once in return and then sighed and leaned back in his chair.  
  
"The Joint Chiefs are very interested in some of the technology that you’ve demonstrated," he said reluctantly. Katrina winced.  
  
"I figured they would be," she said, "My flippant answer is trade secret and they couldn’t afford me anyway. But the truth is that most of my tech comes from the Andromeda; it wouldn’t be compatible with your technology and I promised most of the people who gave it to me not to share it."  
  
"I figured something like that."  
  
"However, Katos will be looking to make amends and I’m sure that will include some of his fancy gadgets and an offer for trade. I’d take it if I were you.  
  
"I’ll take that into consideration."  
  
There was a moment’s pause; then Katrina leaned forward and placed her hands on his desk.  
  
"I know that the Fleet is considering sending ships through the InterWay. Don’t do it. The technology is more advanced in the Andromeda, but so are the enemies. The Galbraith and the Galactic Federation make the Zentai look like primitive warlords. If you go poking around in their territory, you’ll be bringing certain destruction or enslavement upon yourselves," she said carefully.  
  
Aldono nodded. "I understand. I’ll do my best to prevent that eventuality," he promised.  
  
Katrina leaned back again. "Anything else?" she asked.  
  
Aldono gifted her with one of his rare smiles. "Take care of her," he said.  
  
Katrina gave him a genuine smile in return. "Of course."  
  
  
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ  
  
  
Two weeks later Catherine returned from a jog to find Katrina sitting in the living room staring at the wall. "Hey gorgeous," she greeting, leaning over for a kiss.  
  
"Hey yourself," Katrina replied distractedly.  
  
Catherine leaned back. "What’s wrong?"  
  
Katrina sighed and pulled her down to sit next to her.  
  
"Zande relayed me a job offer this morning," she said quietly, looking at a spot over Catherine’s left shoulder.  
  
Catherine frowned. "So?"  
  
"We’d have to leave within the next two days."  
  
"Okay?" Catherine responded, still confused.  
  
Katrina took a deep breath. "We never talked about, that is. What you want. You could come with us?" she said in a jumble.  
  
Catherine frowned and then laughed. "Of course I’m coming with you," she said. She cupped Katrina’s chin and turned her to meet her eyes. "I trust that you’ll always come back for me. But you should trust that you’ll never have to because I’ll never leave you again," Catherine promised firmly.  
  
Katrina’s smile lit up her face. She lunged forward and tackled Catherine to the cushions, smothering her in kisses.  
  
"This is wonderful! I have so much to show you; Paultra! And Temuin! Oh! And you have to meet Andir and Nicole and her Zions!" she babbled between kisses. Laughing Catherine pushed her back slightly to look her in the eyes.  
  
"I love you," Catherine said softly. Katrina smiled at her.  
  
"I love you too."


End file.
